Is this grave matter?

[vlf7973]

I just remembered a sin I committed several years ago (which I completely forgot about until now). I am now trying to figure out if it was a mortal sin.

So, a few years ago there was a homosexual who gave me a compliment (I forget what he said exactly… it was something along the lines of “You’re cute”… nothing sexual). I recall feeling flattered and accepting the compliment (not sure why I felt that way because I am not gay). I did not have any lustful thoughts or anything… just flattery.

I need to know whether or not this consitutes grave matter. It was homosexual in nature but as far as I know my action was not a “sexual sin” so I’m not sure.

 

[underacloud]

Sorry, but can you clarify what sin you think you’ve commited?

Grave sin? Certainly not.

Any sin at all? I don’t see why accepting a compliment of this nature is sinful, unless you feel that you’ve implicitly endorsed this person’s gay lifestyle. But really, what are you meant to do? Reject the compliment and thereby offend the person; I don’t think that’s a great alternative. Just accept the compliment and move on, which is what you did.

 

[Lasting_faith]

If it went as you wrote, no sin what so ever. It turn in to a sin first if you act, in this case, let us say that you would have answer “you are cute to, buy me drink handsome.”

 

[Joseph6279]

No, it is not a mortal sin. It doesn’t on the face of it sound like a sin at all. To experience some passive pleasure at a compliment, even if it is from someone who shouldn’t be paying the compliment, i.e., someone of the same sex who is attracted to you, is more of an emotional reaction than an act of the will. I would say that if you did things in order to elicit the same flattery from that person, that would probably constitute some kind of sin, as that would be deliberately triggering a homosexual impulse from a person, but you didn’t do that.

 

[Blue_Horizon]

I just remembered a sin I committed several years ago (which I completely forgot about until now). I am now trying to figure out if it was a mortal sin.

So, a few years ago there was a homosexual who gave me a compliment (I forget what he said exactly… it was something along the lines of “You’re cute”… nothing sexual). I recall feeling flattered and accepting the compliment (not sure why I felt that way because I am not gay). I did not have any lustful thoughts or anything… just flattery.

I need to know whether or not this consitutes grave matter. It was homosexual in nature but as far as I know my action was not a “sexual sin” so I’m not sure.

vlf look up “grave matter” in the Catechism. It is a technical term and does not mean “a grave matter” which is really what you seem to be talking about.

In both cases the answer is clearly no.
Has anyone suggested before that you may suffer from scruples?
If so it is good to establish a regular counselling regime with a priest.
Good luck.

 

[vlf7973]

I was thinking that the fact that I was flattered in itself was not a sin, but my acceptance of his compliment was a sin (since I acted on an evil emotion). But I guess there was no grave matter so it wouldn’t have been mortal anyway.

Thanks guys.

 

[catholictiger]

I just remembered a sin I committed several years ago (which I completely forgot about until now). I am now trying to figure out if it was a mortal sin.

So, a few years ago there was a homosexual who gave me a compliment (I forget what he said exactly… it was something along the lines of “You’re cute”… nothing sexual). I recall feeling flattered and accepting the compliment (not sure why I felt that way because I am not gay). I did not have any lustful thoughts or anything… just flattery.

I need to know whether or not this consitutes grave matter. It was homosexual in nature but as far as I know my action was not a “sexual sin” so I’m not sure.

I don’t think this is a grave matter.

but for future reference when in doubt confess. It is better to have a priest say to you that isn’t a sin then for you to burn for all eternity in hell. (meaning don’t let your uncertainty about a sin cause you not to go to confession for it. Be safe instead of risking an eternity in hell)

If you are not sure if what you did is a mortal sin or not confess it anyway.